Flexible, high-performance sugar packaging designed around the customer's production environment.
British Sugar now runs multiple retail sugar formats on one SBS brick pack platform, with stable pack quality and high-speed production. When the business needed a packaging solution that could handle multiple formats without compromising pack quality or line performance, ROVEMA designed and installed an SBS brick pack system tailored to their production environment.
About British Sugar
British Sugar produces a wide range of sugar products for consumers across the UK, with high production volumes and multiple retail pack formats. To meet retailer and consumer demand, the company relies on consistent pack quality, efficient production and dependable line availability. As production requirements continued to evolve, British Sugar needed greater flexibility without compromising packaging performance.
Key benefits for British Sugar
- Fully recyclable paper brick packs
- Compact, shelf-ready packaging
- Multiple bag sizes on one application - from 500 g to 2 kg
- High production speeds
- Excellent filling accuracy
- Low-dust operation
- Proven reliability
For British Sugar, two benefits mattered most: flexibility in formats and confidence in speed.
Project overview
British Sugar installed both an SBS Twin Tube and an SBS Single Tube brick pack system, giving the business the flexibility to switch between retail sugar formats on one coordinated platform while maintaining line speed and pack presentation.
Customer: British Sugar, one of the UK’s best-known retail sugar brands.
Application: Retail sugar brick packs from 500 g to 2 kg.
Objective: Increase format flexibility and line performance without compromising pack quality.
Solution: SBS Twin Tube and SBS Single Tube brick pack systems with SDH Auger dosing.
Result: Format flexibility and line performance exceeding initial expectations on selected products.
Flexible brick packs in a constrained environment
The challenge
British Sugar required a single packaging platform capable of producing multiple pack sizes while maintaining the brick pack quality expected in UK retail. At the same time, the system had to deliver high line performance and integrate with existing downstream equipment.
In short, British Sugar wanted brick pack quality and speed, without running separate lines for each format.
- Handle retail sugar products from 500 g to 2 kg on one flexible platform
- Produce consistently high-quality paper brick packs for retail-ready shelf presentation
- Integrate seamlessly with existing palletising equipment to protect overall line efficiency
- Maintain accurate filling with minimal product dust to protect seal integrity and cleanliness
- Fit within an existing second-floor packing facility with limited installation options
With the packing facility located on the second floor, it was not possible to install the machines using conventional methods. Rather than compromise the project, ROVEMA engineers redesigned the machines so they could be transported in two sections, carefully lifted into position and reassembled on site. This collaborative engineering approach ensured that the customer's production environment never became a limitation.
ROVEMA SBS TwinTube
The twin-tube SBS system is designed as the high-output core of the line, delivering maximum productivity and flexibility for the main retail formats. It enables high-speed brick pack production while maintaining consistent pack appearance across formats. On this application, the system delivers high-speed production with outputs of up to around 100 packs per minute, depending on product and format.
On this application, the system delivers outputs of up to 100 bags per minute, while the wider SBS platform can achieve speeds of up to 160 bags per minute depending on product and format.
ROVEMA SBS Single
Installed alongside the twin-tube machine, the single-tube SBS acts as a flexible companion line. It provides additional capacity and extends the format range, allowing British Sugar to balance different pack sizes and downstream requirements while maintaining identical filling accuracy, sealing quality and pack appearance. The system feeds directly into downstream palletising equipment, supporting efficient end-of-line handling for all sizes.
Together, the SBS Twin Tube and Single systems give British Sugar the flexibility to efficiently package a wide variety of retail formats while maintaining consistent filling accuracy, sealing quality and finished pack appearance.
Precise dosing with our SDH Auger Doser
Mounted above each SBS machine, a ROVEMA SDH Auger Doser ensures accurate product filling at speed. Continuous product mixing within the hopper ensures a smooth and controlled product flow, helping to reduce dust generation and protect seal integrity. The result is consistent pack weights, clean seals and dependable production performance.
This helps maintain stable pack weights, clean sealing and reliable production performance across all retail formats. For British Sugar, this means stable pack weights and seals even at high speeds and across multiple formats.
Why the SBS system?
More than 350 ROVEMA SBS systems are installed worldwide across food and non-food industries. The technology combines vertical form, fill and seal packaging with specialised downstream modules to create compact, stackable brick packs within one continuous process.
For British Sugar, two benefits mattered most: flexibility in formats and confidence in speed.
Performance through collaboration
The results
Since commissioning the twin and single SBS systems, British Sugar has experienced strong production performance across its retail sugar formats. On selected formats, production output has exceeded initial expectations while maintaining the high bag quality required for retail environments.
More importantly, the project demonstrates what can be achieved through genuine collaboration between customer and supplier. Rather than delivering an off-the-shelf machine, ROVEMA developed a complete packaging solution tailored to British Sugar's products, factory layout and long-term production objectives.
Watch the project in action
See how ROVEMA partnered with British Sugar to deliver flexible, high-speed sugar brick packs on a challenging second-floor installation. The case study video shows the SBS Twin and Single Tube systems, SDH dosing and downstream handling working together in one continuous process.
Looking to modernise your packaging operation?
Whether you're packing sugar, flour, powders or other dry products, ROVEMA can help you improve efficiency, flexibility and long-term reliability.
From initial product trials through to installation, training and lifecycle support, our team works alongside manufacturers to deliver packaging solutions built around their products, production environment and long-term requirements.